


smitten with your kitten

by yehetno



Series: got a feeling about you [3]
Category: ASTRO (Band)
Genre: Fluff, M/M, bin thinks he's a cat whisperer, dido's white flag is still playing in the bg, poor mj/jinjin they're barely acknowledged, sanha/eunwoo are mentioned
Language: English
Status: Completed
Published: 2016-07-13
Updated: 2016-07-13
Packaged: 2018-07-22 14:24:39
Rating: General Audiences
Warnings: No Archive Warnings Apply
Chapters: 1
Words: 4,188
Publisher: archiveofourown.org
Story URL: https://archiveofourown.org/works/7442623
Author URL: https://archiveofourown.org/users/yehetno/pseuds/yehetno
Summary: <blockquote class="userstuff">
              <p>Moon Bin likes to think that he knows love when he sees it, but Park Minhyuk proves otherwise.</p><p>(OR Bin is the last one to know despite the fact that he's usually the first.)</p>
            </blockquote>





	smitten with your kitten

**Author's Note:**

> yehetno: abuser of parentheses.
> 
> ok so some people did ask for this. 'scuse me while i go die. godbless moon bin #catwhisperer.
> 
> forgive me and forgive typos.

Moon Bin can be described as happy-go-lucky.  He's not entirely sure if that is  _the_ most accurate descriptor to ever be assigned to him, but he lets very little bother him.  Perhaps unaffected is better word.  Blissful, kind, sweet, Moon Bin is just a cache of positive adjectives.  

In theory, that should make him an infectiously, bubbly, out-going person with a million friends.  People gravitate toward people that make them feel better, and Bin certainly succeeds at that, making others feel better and happier.  The little bit of Bin's life that works out in a wonky-weird way is the section regarding romance.

Ah, love.  That thing that Bin can spot but has yet to feel.   Yes, Bin has had a crush or two in the past, but they didn't even reach the unrequited love stage.  In terms of personal experience, Bin has dipped a toe into the shallow end of love.  As long as he's going with the pool analogy, he is that one kid who spends the entire day sitting on the pool chairs watching other people rather than jumping in.  As a result, Bin notices when his friends and acquaintances are love-sick.

Case and point: Lee Dongmin and Yoon Sanha.  Bin saw them coming from a mile away.  From their very first encounter to Dongmin walking in all smug and holding Sanha's hand, Bin just knew.

He wishes that he could brag about it to someone,  _anyone_.  However, his ability to spot love lines and ship real, live people isn't something that comes up easily in conversation.  He needs a new person to be in the same room as Sanha and Dongmin for him to nudge them and subtly say, 'they've been in love since day one'.  Bin calls himself the fortune cookie of love, not out loud of course, but his batting average is very high in that department.

Alas, he hasn't found anyone interested enough in the epic tale of Yoon Sanha and Lee Dongmin to divulge his clairvoyance in the field of love.

At this advanced stage in life, Bin figures that love,  _true love,_ will elude him forever.  

(When he tells Dongmin of his woes, Dongmin says, "You're 23." 

Bin's response to which is: "I'm almost halfway to being halfway through my life!  The situation is dire as it is."

"Are you saying _I'll_ never find love?" Myungjun asks.)

 

//

 

Every day brings a new surprise, and today's surprise comes in the form of a kitten.

"I FOUND A CAT!" He hears Sanha shout from the living room.  Bin glances between his computer and his door.   He technically has work to do, so he fights the temptation for two entire, long, drawn out minutes.  What's he supposed to do?  Ignore the fact that there's a cute animal within a reasonable distance?  Bin's weakness is animals of the cuddly variety.

He yields to the need to verify the presence of a kitten and puts his computer to sleep.  Walking out into the living room, he asks, "Did you say something about a cat?"

Myungjun glances at him (it's closer to a glare, if Bin is being 100% honest), and Sanha grins with a nod.  Moon Bin falls in love upon seeing the kitten in his hands.  He approaches the cat in Sanha's arms, marveling at how small it is and the way its coat gleams with its shades of orange.  He knows that he makes a noise, but boy, oh boy, this kitten just melts Bin. 

Myungjun checks the kitten's tag, while Bin clutches his chest as the kitten mews.  He's so close to crying; the moment is too precious.  Even if Myungjun is tapping his foot against the linoleum whilst talking to whoever owns this cat (and thus Bin's heart).

Bin doesn't want to scare the cat, so he does the most rational thing that he can think of: pretending to be another cat.  He curls his fingers into his palms and hunches over so that he is eye-to-eye with the cat.  He makes his eyes as wide as possible, deliberately blinking at a slower pace.  

The cat blinks back.

Bin is a freaking cat-whisperer!  He barely contains the giggle of delight the bubbles up in his chest.  He cannot break the connection that they have.  He's new to cat-whispering and certainly doesn't want to mess it up.

Sanha chooses to set the kitten down, and Bin has to follow the movement so that he can play with his new favorite thing in the entire world.   He has a lightbulb moment and pops up to relay his idea to Sanha, "We should give her some milk."

His roommate's eyes widen as he touches his nose and points at Bin as if they're playing a game of charades.  Sanha immediately begins look through the cupboards to find an appropriate dish to pour milk into for their new furry friend.

 _Knock knock knock_.

Myungjun goes to get the door, and Bin resumes his kitten-whisperer position.  She blinks at him again.  Wow, Bin is really good at this, a natural as they would say in the business.

Sanha sets the shallowest bowl that they own in front of the tabby-kitten, quickly rooting through the fridge to get their jug of milk.  Sanha begins to pour some milk out for the kitten, only to be rudely interrupted the sound of Myungjun shouting at them.  "What are you doing?!"

Much to his disappointment, he has to look away from the cutie-pie in front of him to address his friend, "Milk?  Cats like milk."

Sanha backs him up, "I've seen it in all the movies."

Myungjun looks unimpressed.   His face shifts, and Bin  _knows_ the underlying attitude behind that expression.  "Yoon Sanha and Moon Bin," he says, voice deeply serious, "do either of you know anything about cats?"

Bin wants to say something about being a cat-whisperer, but that feels inappropriate.  Disheartened, he stands up straight and pretends like he's thinking hard.

Sanha betrays him with four words: "It was Bin's idea."

The audacity.  One of his best friends.  His roommate.  The love of Dongmin's life stabs him in the back like it's nothing.  "Sanha!"

Myungjun says something to one of the two men behind him, while the other yells out, "Aroha!"

Bin watches as this strange person goes up to the kitten, who is apparently named Aroha, and scoops her up.  His hair is dyed brown and is the owner of a fairly infectious smile.  At least, it is to Moon Bin, but then again, Bin has a hard time not smiling when others are smiling.  

Bin glances at Myungjun and sees it.  Love, or at least inklings of it. 

He has the burning need to meddle and help Myungjun along into forging a relationship.  (Bin is aware that he should not, so he makes note that he should restrain himself from light teasing and interfering with the natural course of love.)

"I'm Minhyuk," a voice says to Sanha, and Bin remembers about the cat and the boy with the nice smile.

Bin returns to the conversation as Sanha introduces himself and Bin.  Minhyuk sticks out his hand toward Bin, and Bin grabs it, "Nice to meet you.  And your cat."

(Bin feels a jolt, but he chalks it up to static shock and the excitement of spending time with a cat.)

"Who's he?" Bin asks, jutting his chin out toward the person with Myungjun.

"Jinwoo.  Park Jinwoo," Minhyuk replies, "He's my roommate and my bestie."

Bin looks at Minhyuk, a bit surprised.  He seems rugged and solidly masculine, but there he goes using dorky-cute words.

It's then and there that Moon Bin decides that he likes Minhyuk as a person.  He would like Minhyuk if he didn't come with cat perks.  Bin is serious; he and Minhyuk could become really good friends.

 

//

 

Bin pouts, sitting outside of his apartment.   His keys are currently somewhere in his room, probably under a pile of laundry that needs washing.  This morning he had to root through the clothes strewn about his room to find the very specific shirt that he needed to wear because Chanwoo wanted to his help impressing some guy named Hanbin or whatever.  ("We need to look vaguely hip-hip, wear one of your jersey-shirt things.")

Yoon Sanha is currently in the middle of a date with Dongmin, and Bin refuses to ruin any of their moments together.  Their relationship needs to continue sailing smoothly.  He knows that Myungjun won't be home for a while because he doesn't get off of work for another two hours.  He has already sent the message explaining that he's locked out and he would appreciate it if Myungjun would be so kind as to get home as soon as possible.

His phone is unbearably close to dying, so he can't fiddle around with it until Myungjun gets home.

Bin groans, fake crying at his miserable situation.

"Moon Bin?"

Bin looks up and finds Minhyuk giving him an odd look.

"Oh my god, a person," Bin sighs in relief, scrambling up to his feet. "I could hug you, but I won't.  There are lines."

"Right," Minhyuk nods before asking, "What are you doing on your door mat?"

"I'm locked out," he looks down in shame, "for at least two more hours."

Minhyuk licks his lips, taking a quick breath.  He looks down the hall toward his door and back at Bin, "Do you want to hang out at my place?  Until Sanha or Myungjun or whoever gets back."

Bin perks up, "Jinwoo won't mind?"

Minhyuk giggles, "Um, no.  He wouldn't mind, but he's at a work dinner.  Told me not to wait up, so I don't think he'll be back until way late in the night."

"Ah.  Okay, well I suppose I have to keep you company if Jinwoo has abandoned you for the evening."  Bin claps happily, motioning for Minhyuk to lead the way.

It earns him a suppressed smile.  Minhyuk quips, "One day, they'll write songs about heroes like you."

Bin giggles, "I am practically Mother Teresa."

"I look forward to your canonization."

Minhyuk lets them into his apartment, and Bin soaks in the sight.  Until he spots Aroha curled up in a ball on their kitchen counter.  Their couch is pushed against the wall of their living room, and there are plenty of unopened boxes populating the floor.

Back to the cat, Bin's heart pounds in excitement.  She looks up to croak out a pathetic meow.  Bin dies internally, fluff overload.

Minhyuk sighs, looking at his cat, "Don't sass me.  I will get your food in a moment.  Don't be rude to Bin either."

Bin has the briefest thought that Minhyuk is cute, but it gets drowned out by the giant exclamation point that reminds him of the existence of a kitten within arms reach.  He extends his fingers to pet Aroha and, amazingly enough, she keens into his touch.  The cat-whisperer strikes again!

She immediately abandons him up on hearing Minhyuk dump food into her bowl.  Even cat-whispers have their off days.

Bin awkwardly tries to play it like he isn't hurt.  Awkward is a nice way of putting it.  He chooses to make small talk, "Still unpacking I see."

Minhyuk seems to realize that it's a little bit of a mess.  Bin watches as guilt and embarrassment flicker across his face, "Sorry..."

Bin waves it off, "Don't be. I'm intruding; so even if the mess bothered me, I couldn't complain."

"Are you hungry?"

"I'm always hungry."

 

Twenty minutes later, Moon Bin faces Park Minhyuk with an extra large cheese pizza between them and a two-liter bottle of cola off to the side.  (Evidently, Minhyuk and Jinwoo still haven't gotten around to unpacking their dishes, including cups, so they have an agreement that they'll avoid actually pressing their lips to the opening of their cola for hygienic purposes.)

"What do you do?" Bin asks through a partially-chewed mouthful of pizza.  He gulps it down roughly, "For a living, I mean."

"Part-time dance instructor, full-time sales associate," Minhyuk replies swiftly.  "And you?"

"Gum on the bottom of shoe of a junior editor at a food magazine."  After seeing the look on Minhyuk's face, mouth slightly open, eyes as wide as can be, eyebrows so high that they almost meet his hairline, Bin bursts out into laughter.  "I'm just kidding.  I'm a junior editor's assistant, so I'm basically the lord of the copy room and know her coffee order like the back of my hand."

They eat in silence for a solid minute, and Bin watches Aroha stare at their pizza. 

"Are you a cat person?" Minhyuk inquires, taking note of Bin's affinity for his pet.

Bin looks back at Minhyuk, who seems to inhale food at the same rate as Bin.  Amazing, they're really well matched, on their way to becoming best buds.  With a smile, Bin responds, "I don't discriminate when it comes to cute things.  Kittens, puppies, kids, if it's cute, then it's for me." 

Minhyuk clears his throat, "Being cute is the way to win your heart?"

Bin is flustered, and he has no clue why that comment makes him feel a little bit... sideways?

He gathers his senses, spitting out the next thing that runs through his mind, "Having a cat helps too."

Minhyuk blinks at him, lowering the slice of pizza in his hand.  His cheeks are glowing a little, but really he just seems stunned, like Bin's words were unexpected.  Perhaps... "Is there something on my face?" Bin asks because he's pretty sure that is the reason Minhyuk is staring at him like that.  He brings his hand up to his face, waiting for his companion to point out where he should wipe.

"Ah!" Minhyuk feigns surprise, "No, you're good."

Bin wants to press further, but his text-tone goes off. He grabs his phone to find a message from Myungjun.

 

 **mjthemighty**  [7:24 PM] | home.

 

Bin is almost disappointed.  Spending time with Minhyuk is delightful, but he does have things to do and Myungjun apparently got home early just to save him.

"Myungjun is home, so I should go..." Bin trails off.  If Minhyuk asks him to stick around, he can hardly be expected to refuse.  He chants  _as_ _k me to stay_  in his mind for roughly ten seconds.

"Probably," Minhyuk sighs, setting his partially eaten slice into pizza box.  They've basically decimated it; only one slice remains untouched.  (Bin swears he's not disappointed.  Maybe a little.  Friendships need attention in order to grow and bloom properly.)  "Thanks for kicking it with me."

"Thanks for sheltering me from the cold cruel hallway."

Minhyuk gets up off of the floor, closing the lid of the pizza box, "Shall I escort you home?"

(Bin is happy again.)  He giggles, "Your chivalry will go down in history books.

"Maybe we can get canonized together," Minhyuk teases, nudging Bin with his elbow.

They arrive at Bin's apartment quickly, not that it's shocking; they live on the same hall after all.

"See you around," says Bin, waving as he enters his apartment.

He catches Minhyuk saying, "I look forward to it."

He closes the door softly.  Bin's mood is a million times better than it was earlier, courtesy of Minhyuk and his kitten.  He takes a deep breath and makes his way to his room.

"What's with the smile?" Myungjun asks from his seat on the couch.

"I have a friend that has a cat and gives me pizza."

Myungjun scoffs, "That's not a friendship smile."

Bin is too caught up in himself to really process the comment.  Maybe Minhyuk will let him hang out with Aroha frequently.

 

//

 

 **rockyroad** [1:34 PM] | i think sanha's bf hates me.

 **bintothemoon** [1:42 PM] | ? ? ?

 **rockyroad** [1:44 PM] | was teaching sanha some dance moves and corrected some of his body parts for a better flow, and dude looked like he wanted to strangle me.

 **bintothemoon** [1:45 PM] | Dongmin?  Violent?

 **bintothemoon** [1:45 PM] | He's a teeny bit possessive, but that's because Sanha is his favorite person in the whole wide world.

 **bintothemoon** [1:46 PM] | He experiences brief moments of jealousy before remembering that he dates /Yoon Sanha/.

 **bintothemoon** [1:46 PM] | Please don't wreck my otp tho.

 **rockyroad** [1:57 PM] | otp?????

 **bintothemoon** [2:01 PM] | I don't know if this is a texting conversation...

 **bintothemoon** [2:02 PM] | Send me pictures of you

 **bintothemoon** [2:02 PM] | *your cat

 **_rockyroad_ ** _has sent you ( **3** ) attachment(s)._

 

//

 

Bin treats Minhyuk to shaved ice as a thank you for the pizza.

"What's an OTP?" is the very first thing that Minhyuk asks when they sit down at a table.

Bin giggles, "Have you been hung up on that all week?"

He nods.

"You're precious," Bin sighs, sticking a spoon into his strawberry flavored ice.  "It means one true pairing."

Minhyuk blinks owlishly.  He doesn't get it; Bin can tell.

"Look, all that you need to know is that Sanha and Dongmin are my template for successful relationships.  I love both of them a little too much for them to break up because I won't be able to choose sides.  However, that's super unlikely because they've been deeply in love for two years now."

Confusion still rests in Minhyuk's expression, but he nods along as if everything is perfectly clear now.  "Does that mean Dongmin doesn't hate me?"

Bin chews on the thought.  Does Dongmin have it in him to hate imaginary competition?  For some reason, he's confident that Minhyuk has absolutely no interest in trying to poach Sanha.  That thought precedes the one about how it wouldn't matter anyway because it's Sanha and Dongmin.  Odd.  He decides to assure Minhyuk, "Don't worry about it.  I'll vouch for you if it turns out that he harbors negative feelings for you."

Minhyuk drags his spoon across the top of his shaved ice, picking up a few red beans, "Have you known Dongmin for long enough to vouch for me?"

"Dongmin is my soulmate," Bin hums, "We were destined to be the best-est of best friends."

"So you believe in fate?" 

"I think that we're all meant to cross paths with certain people.  Like, the powers that be in this great big universe send us little gifts."

"The universe must really like me," Minhyuk mumbles under his breath, almost too softly for Bin to hear.

Bin steals a spoonful of Minhyuk's food, and it doesn't even seem to bother Minhyuk at all.  He just takes some of Bin's ice with a shrug.

Bin thinks that he has found another soulmate.  He doesn't say it out loud because he doesn't want Minhyuk to feel uncomfortable.  He just smiles down at the remnants of his shaved ice.  The universe must really like Bin too.  To bless him with so many friends, that is.

 

//

 

 **bintothemoon** [10:22 PM] | Don't be mean to Minhyuk.

 **ringdingdongmin** [10:24 PM] | sanha already gave me this talk. provide your argument pls.

 **bintothemoon** [10:30 PM] | He /has/ a cat.

 **ringdingdongmin** [10:30 PM] | is that all????

 **bintothemoon** [10:32 PM] | He's my soulmate.

 **ringdingdongmin** [10:33 PM] | you have like 20 soulmates.

 **ringdingdongmin** [10:34 PM] | i won't be mean to him.  besides he seems like a solid person. and i was jealous for a millisecond.  and sanha only looks at me.  that's more than enough for me.

 **bintothemoon** [10:35 PM] | YOU GUYS ARE SO CUTE.

 **ringdingdongmin** [10:36 PM] | sometimes i get the feeling that you're too invested in our relationship...

 

//

 

(Myungjun comes back from the mailroom, hugging their bills and junk mail, with a huge grin on his face and rosy cheeks.  A complete 180 from the sullen, mopey person who left to get the mail a little while ago.

"Myungjun?" Sanha asks with a look on concern stamped on his face.

"Jinwoo _like_  likes me," he giggles.

Bin smiles, "I knew it."

 _Moon Bin: fortune cookie of love._ He should put that on his business card.)

 

//

 

Bin's phone vibrates, and he dives to see if Minhyuk has responded.  It has been almost thirty minutes since Bin shot him a message about playing video games and maybe seeing his cat.

It's Chanwoo.  Bin collapses onto his bed.  He loves Chanwoo, he does; but he is waiting for a very important message from Minhyuk.  Chanwoo is just complaining about Hanbin and a whole mess of feelings.  Bin has already told him that Hanbin  _likes_ him and he likes Hanbin right back, but Chanwoo doth protest too much.

Minhyuk has to be ignoring him.  It's driving Bin up a wall because he has no clue why.

He goes into the living room and lies down, resting his head in Myungjun's lap. The TV is sideways, but watching it isn't exactly Bin's priority.  

"Why?" is all that Myungjun has to say.

"Minhyuk is ignoring me."

With a sigh, Myungjun mutes his program, "What gives you that impression?"

"He hasn't responded to my text message.  He never takes this long."  Bin has a horrible thought, just about the worst thought to have the moment.  He sits and looks at Myungjun in fear, "What if he unlikes me?  Like he hates me now?"

"Moon Bin."

"What's with the look on your face?" 

Myungjun rakes his teeth over his bottom, "I promised not to tell."

Betrayal.  Myungjun is keeping secrets from Bin?  Bin tries and fails not to be offended and worried because what kind secret does Myungjun know about Minhyuk.  "What?"

" _Moon Bin."_

"Kim Myungjun, now is not the time to say my name in a stern voice!  Did Minhyuk tell you something?  Did Jinwoo say something to you about Minhyuk?"

Myungjun pinches the bridge of nose, "Bin, look at it this way: why do you care about Minhyuk keeping secrets from you?"

"Because."

"Because?"

Bin thinks really hard.  Myungjun is trying to get him there, but nothing in his memory jumps out at him.

Myungjun rolls his eyes, "How does Minhyuk make you feel?"

Bin is almost offended by the intonation.  He scoffs, "He makes feel nice?  Sometimes, I feel a bit off center when I'm around him. Obviously, I think he's one of my soulmates."

"Are you serious?" Myungjun deadpans.

"What?!"

"You like him."

Bin snorts, "Of course, I like him."  Lightbulb.  Suddenly, it becomes very clear what Myungjun is talking and why Bin has bubbles in his chest around Minhyuk.  "Oh my god.  I like him.  Like, I  _like_ him.  I want him to be the Dongmin to my Sanha."

Myungjun stares at him blankly, "You're an idiot."

"Wait, what do my feelings have to do with Minhyuk hating me?  Does he know I like him and now he's uncomfortable?" Bin asks.  HIs friend hangs his head in his hands.

"YOON SANHA!" He shouts.

Sanha pokes his head out of his room, "Yeah?"

"Who does Park Minhyuk like?"

Sanha's face contorts in confusion, "Isn't it Bin?"

Another lightbulb.  Bin stands up, "I'm going to go tell him."

He walks straight out of his apartment and heads toward Minhyuk's apartment.  He knocks on the door and waits for someone to answer.  Jinwoo opens the door and grins, "How can I help you, Moon Bin?"

"I need to speak to Park Minhyuk.  Please," Bin asks with rigid formality.

Jinwoo gives him a weird look, "Uh, okay.  He's taking a nap, but if it's urgent..."

"It's so super duper urgent," Bin rushes his words, bouncing on his toes.

Jinwoo opens the door, inviting Bin inside with a sweep of his arm.  He makes a beeline for Minhyuk's room. Aroha interrupts him by rubbing against his leg.

Bin crouches down, in cat-whisperer mode, "You know how I feel about you, but this is kind of important.  I hope you don't hold this against me."

He knocks on Minhyuk's door and waits three seconds before opening Minhyuk's door.  Evidently, Minhyuk sleeps face down with a limb or two hanging off of the edge of the bed.  Bin pokes his cheek, and Minhyuk tries to swat it away.

"Minhyuk."

He cracks an eye open, "Why are you here?"

Bin cuts straight to the chase, "Do you like me?"

Minhyuk groans, rolling over, "Which like are you referring to?"

"The like that becomes love and tends to lead to dating when it's mutual."

Minhyuk looks at him through groggy eyes, "What answer lets me go back to sleep?"

"An honest one."

"Yes."

Bin claps quietly, "I like you too."  His presses the backs of his hands against his burning cheeks.

"Wanna spoon?"

So maybe Moon Bin isn't a cat whisperer, but Minhyuk likes him and has really strong arms.  What a great day.

 

//

 

"Would you like me if I didn't have a cat?"

"That's a silly question.  Of course not."

"Sometimes you say things just to hurt me."

"If you didn't have Aroha, it's unlikely we would have met."

"If we are 'soulmates', then we wouldn't have needed Aroha to come together."

"Oh.  Then I guess I would still like you if you didn't have a cat."

"You  _guess_?"

"Well, I mean, at this point, I love you."

Minhyuk kisses Bin's cheek, "Love you, too."

**Author's Note:**

> i'm sorry TTuTT. i know i'm like the worst writer but astro...
> 
> please offer feedback via kudos, comments, or if you super duper like it: bookmarks. criticism is only accepted if it's constructive.


End file.
